Mesut Ozil 2nd – PL Boasts Europe’s Most Creative Stars

As West Ham recorded an impressive 3-1 away win over Crystal Palace this weekend, new signing Dimitri Payet shone once again.

Payet registered his fifth league goal of the season. Impressive alone. However, the 6 key passes that he made during the game were the most from any Premier League player at the weekend, and the equal highest in Europe.

Last season, Payet was Europe’s most creative player, registering a total of 117 key passes for previous club Marseille in Ligue 1.

Fantasy football game Oulala have taken a closer look at the stats and have revealed Europe’s ten most creative players so far this season. All midfielders.

Is it any surprise that Payet leads Oulala’s list? The 28-year-old has provided 35 key passes in the Premier League this season, the most from any player in Europe. With an average of 3.9 per game, the Frenchman has averaged a key pass every 23 minutes!

Payet is ranked the best Premier League player on Oulala this season with an average of 39 points per game and the second best player overall behind only Barcelona’s Neymar.

Mesut Özil of Arsenal is Europe’s second most creative player. The German has tallied a total of 31 key passes in the Premier League this season. Özil’s team-mates have taken advantage, turning these into 6 assists. The 27-year-old is joint top of Europe’s assist charts alongside Manchester City’s David Silva.

Oulala have Özil ranked the eleventh best midfielder in the Premier League this season with an average of 22 points per game.

Arsenal have a second player in Europe’s top ten most creative players, as Santi Cazorla takes sixth spot in Oulala’s top 10. The Spaniard has made 27 key passes this season at an average of 3 per game. Cazorla also boasts the most successful passes in the Premier League with an average of 74 per game, leading both Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas (63) and David Silva (61).

Surprisingly, Chelsea’s heavily criticized Eden Hazard makes seventh spot in Oulala’s most creative players. The Belgian has made 26 key passes in the Premier League this season. At an average of 2.9 per game, the 24-year-old is in-fact more productive than he was last season. Hazard averaged 2.4 key passes per game during his Player of the Year campaign.

The last Premier League player to feature in Europe’s top ten is Dušan Tadić of Southampton. The Serbian has made 24 key passes in the Premier League this season, resulting in 2 assists.

The Premier League and Ligue 1 are both represented by five players in Oulala’s list.

Have England and France produced the most creative and entertaining football this season? Or is Spain still top dog?